Perception of orthodontic treatment need: opinion comparisons of patients, parents and orthodontists

Objective: To investigate the aesthetic perceptions of 100 consecutive patients and their parents of orthodontic treatment need and to compare their observations with that of orthodontists. Methods: The sample consisted of 100 consecutive orthodontic patients seen for the firsttime at a Nigerian Hospital. Of the total sample, 49 were males and 51 were females, with ages ranging from 7 to 21 years (mean + SD; 12.81 + 3.08). The self-assessment by patients and the recording by parents and orthodontists were carried out using the Aesthetic (AC) and Dental Health (DHC) Components of Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) as applicable. Results: The results showed a strong association in the perception of dental appearance by patients and the views of other dental assessors. These correlations were highly statistically significant (

An unsuspected yellow fever and lassa fever in a tertiary healthcare facility in Jos, North Central, Nigeria: a case report

Background: Yellow Fever and Lassa Fever are both zoonotic diseases (Mosquito borne flavirus and Rodent borne arenavirus, respectively) and classified as viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHF) because of their common clinical presentations – especially fevers and bleeding during the terminal stages of the diseases. After an incubation period of 3 – 6 days in Yellow fever, and 2 – 21 days in Lassa fever: they present with fevers, rigors, headache, myalgia, nausea, and vomiting. Jaundice is noticed in Yellow fever, while Lassa in addition to other symptoms also present with sore throat (with patchy tonsillar exudate), dysphagia, dry cough, chest pain, and cramping abdominal pain, diarrhoea or epigastric pains. Gradual deterioration is associated with oedema of the face and neck, respiratory distress, pleural and pericardial effusions, encephalopathy, and haemorrhage from various sites (including hypotension and shock, nonrelated to blood loss). The laboratory confirmation from a specialized virology laboratory was conducted for both disease conditions using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, with containment facilities (biosafety level 4).The management of each of these conditions is mainly supportive, although Ribavirin has significantly reduced mortality associated with Lassa fever; with best results obtained when drug is started early in the course of the illness. Reports of Yellow fever and Lassa fever co-infection are particularly scarce. The objective of this study was to report a successfully managed Case report in an Adolescent Child.Case Report: A 10 – year old boy with a positive history of contact with and adult (grandmother) who died from a febrile illness, bleeding from body orifices and jaundice; presented with high grade fever, sore throat abdominal pain and passage of loose watery stool. All these symptoms were persistent for more than twelve days despite antibiotics and antimalarial medications. He was ill looking, febrile, anicteric and had right upper quadrant tenderness/hepatomegaly. A diagnosis of viral haemorrhagic fever was made, he was admitted and nursed in the isolation ward, infection prevention and control measures were observed, he had baseline investigations, supportive care and Ribavirin. PCR results was positive for Yellow fever and Lassa fever. He responded to treatment, was discharged home, and recuperated well during his follow up visits.Conclusion: This case clearly illustrates the importance of having high index of suspicion following the significant history of contact with a probable case of viral haemorrhagic fever (absence of laboratory confirmation at the time of her death) by the index case, especially when there was non-response to routine treatment for common causes of fever in the community.Keywords: Yellow Fever, Lassa Fever, Viral Haemorrhagic Fever, Polymerase Chain Reactio

Effects of Recent/Healed Post-Extraction Protocols on Incisor and Canine Alignment During Fixed Orthodontic Appliance Therapy

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of recent/healed post-premolar extraction protocol, gender, age, and dental arch on incisor and canine alignment during fixed orthodontic appliance therapy.Methods: The study sample consisted of 50 dental arches of patients undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance therapy. The arches were randomized into an equal number of recent and healed extraction groups. The orthodontic setup was instituted within 3-7 days and 5-6 weeks following first premolar teeth extractions in the recent and healed extraction groups, respectively.Orthodontic tooth alignment was carried out using 0.016-inch NiTi wires for 16 weeks. Study casts were made at baseline, 4, 8, 12-, and 16-week follow-up treatment. Little’s Irregularity Index was used to assess orthodontic tooth alignment.Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the alignment rates between groups, and multiple linear regression was used to predict the relationship of groups and sociodemographic factors to alignment rate. The statistical significance level was set at P < .05.Results: The mean daily incisor and canine alignment rates in the recent and healed extraction cases were 0.13 mm and 0.11 mm, respectively (P = .332), 0.12 mm in both males and females (P = .827), and 0.13 mm and 0.12 mm in the maxilla and mandible, respectively (P = .534). There was however a significant difference in the mean daily alignment rate between adolescents (0.15 mm) and adults (0.10 mm) (P = .019).Conclusion: The rate of incisor and canine alignment was not affected significantly by recent/healed post-extraction protocol, gender, and dental arch. However, the rate was significantly faster in adolescents

Análisis documental: importancia de los entornos virtuales en los procesos educativos en el nivel superior

The purpose of this study was to understand the importance of virtual environments in educational processes at the higher level. A systematic literature review of 22 scientific papers published from 2011 to 2019 was carried out in different countries of Latin America and Europe. The results are as follows: the concept of «virtual environment» is associated with a software or computer application, space or medium on the network that facilitates communication. Its characteristics are collaboration, interactivity, standardization, flexibility and scalability. They are used to improve the teaching-learning process, promote the development of interpersonal skills, complement face-to-face education and facilitate the monitoring of learning. Among its benefits is educational quality, learning and motivation. The obstacles to its use are fear of change, little interest from students and the lack of adequate infrastructure in institutions. In conclusion, virtual environments are spaces that facilitate communication and access to various materials and material resources for students. Mainly, it is characterized by its interactivity, flexibility, scalability and ubiquity regarding learning. They are a mechanism of motivation and evaluation.El presente estudio tuvo como propósito conocer la importancia de los entornos virtuales en los procesos educativos en el nivel superior. Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de la literatura de 22 trabajos científicos publicados entre 2011 y 2019 en diferentes países de América Latina y Europa. Los resultados son los siguientes: el concepto de «entornos virtuales» se asocia a un software o a una aplicación informática, espacio o medio en la red que facilita la comunicación. Sus características son la colaboración, la interactividad, la flexibilidad, la estandarización y la escalabilidad. Los espacios virtuales son utilizados para mejorar el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, promover el desarrollo de habilidades interpersonales, complementar la educación presencial y facilitar el seguimiento del aprendizaje. Entre sus beneficios se encuentran la calidad educativa del aprendizaje y la motivación. Los obstáculos para su uso son el temor al cambio, el poco interés de los alumnos y la falta de infraestructura adecuada en las instituciones. En conclusión, los entornos virtuales son espacios que facilitan la comunicación a los alumnos y el acceso a diversos materiales y recursos. Principalmente, se caracterizan por su interactividad, flexibilidad, escalabilidad y ubicuidad respecto al aprendizaje. Son un mecanismo de motivación y evaluación

Dental Arch Dimensions of Nigerian Children with Hypertrophied Adenoids

Objective:The study objective was to assess the effect of adenoid hypertrophy on the dental arch dimensions of children in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.Methods:Ninety patients aged 3-12 years attending the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Ile-Ife diagnosed as having hypertrophied adenoids and 90 children from the Child Dental Health Clinic were recruited as adenoid and control subjects respectively. Arch and palatal vault dimensions, including total arch length; inter-canine, inter-premolar, and inter-molar widths; palatal length; and palatal heights measured at three levels and palatal volume were determined for both groups from dental casts.Results:Maxillary arch dimensions were shorter in the adenoid group than the control group; however, only total maxillary arch length was significantly shorter (p=0.049). Mandibular arch dimensions with the exception of inter-molar width were significantly shorter in the adenoid group (p<0.05). Adenoid subjects had significantly increased palatal heights at canine, premolar, and molar levels and reduced palatal volume compared to the control subjects (p<0.05).Conclusion:Adenoid subjects demonstrated shorter maxillary and mandibular arch dimensions compared with control subjects, with the differences being more evident in the lower arch. They also exhibited increased palatal heights at all levels and reduced palatal volume compared with control subjects

Socio-demographic factors and edentulism: the Nigerian experience

BACKGROUND: The rate of total edentulism is said to be increasing in developing countries and this had been attributed mainly to the high prevalence of periodontal diseases and caries. Several reports have shown that non-disease factors such as attitude, behavior, dental attendance, characteristics of health care systems and socio-demographic factors play important roles in the aetiopathogenesis of edentulism. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between socio-demographic factors and edentulism. METHODS: A total of 152 patients made up of 80 (52.6%) males and 72 (47.4%) females who presented in two prosthetic clinics located in an urban and a rural area were included in the study. The relationship between gender, age, socio-economic status and edentulism in this study population was established. RESULTS: No significant relationship between gender and denture demand was noted in the study. The demand for complete dentures increased with age while the demand for removable partial dentures also increased with age until the 3(rd )decade and then started to decline. A significant relationship was found between denture demand and the level of education with a higher demand in lower educational groups (p < 0.001). In addition, the lower socio-economic group had a higher demand more for prostheses than the higher group. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this study revealed a significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and edentulism with age, educational level and socio-economic status playing vital roles in edentulism and denture demand

Pulpal sequelae after trauma to anterior teeth among adult Nigerian dental patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epidemiological studies show that about 11.6% to 33.0% of all boys and about 3.6% to 19.3% of all girls suffer dental trauma of varying severity before the age of 12 years. Moderate injuries to the periodontium such as concussion and subluxation are usually associated with relatively minor symptoms and hence may go unnoticed by the patient or the dentist, if consulted. Patients with these kinds of injuries present years after a traumatic accident most of the time with a single discoloured tooth. This study sets out to document the incidence of various posttraumatic sequelae of discoloured anterior teeth among adult Nigerian dental patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and sixty eight (168) traumatized discoloured anterior teeth in 165 patients were studied. Teeth with root canal treatment were excluded from the study. Partial obliteration was recorded when the pulp chamber or root canal was not discernible or reduced in size on radiographs, total obliteration was recorded when pulp chamber and root canal were not discernible. A retrospective diagnosis of concussion was made from patient's history of trauma to the tooth without abnormal loosening, while subluxation was made from patient's history of trauma to the tooth with abnormal loosening.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 168 traumatized discoloured anterior teeth, 47.6% and 31.6% had partial and total obliteration of the pulp canal spaces respectively, 20.8% had pulpal necrosis. Concussion and subluxation injuries resulted more in obliteration of the pulp canal space, while fracture of the teeth resulted in more pulpal necrosis (p < 0.001). Injuries sustained during the 1^stand 2^nddecade of life resulted more in obliteration of the pulp canal space, while injuries sustained in the 3^rddecade resulted in more pulpal necrosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Calcific metamorphosis developed more in teeth with concussion and subluxation injuries. Pulpal necrosis occurred more often in traumatized teeth including fractures.</p

First molar size and wear within and among modern hunter-gatherers and agricultural populations

Apart from reflecting modern human dental variation, differences in dental size among populations provide a means for studying continuous evolutionary processes and their mechanisms. Dental wear, on the other hand, has been widely used to infer dietary adaptations and variability among or within diverse ancient human populations. Few such studies have focused on modern foragers and farmers, however, and diverse methods have been used. This research aimed to apply a single, standardized, and systematic quantitative procedure to measure dental size and dentin exposure in order to analyze differences among several hunter-gatherer and agricultural populations from various environments and geographic origins. In particular, we focused on sexual dimorphism and intergroup differences in the upper and lower first molars. Results indicated no sexual dimorphism in molar size and wear within the studied populations. Despite the great ethnographic variation in subsistence strategies among these populations, our findings suggest that differences in sexual division of labor do not affect dietary wear patterns.The study was funded by grants CGL2010-15340 and CGL2011-22999 (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España) to APP

Malocclusion, psycho-social impacts and treatment need: A cross-sectional study of Tanzanian primary school-children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>studies on the relationship between children's malocclusion and its psycho-social impacts are so far largely unexplored in low-income countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malocclusion, reported dental problems and dissatisfaction with dental appearance among primary school children in Tanzania. The relationship of dissatisfaction with socio-demographic characteristics, clinically defined malocclusion and psychosocial impacts of dental anomalies was investigated. Orthodontic treatment need was estimated using an integrated socio-dental approach.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>One thousand six hundred and one children (mean age 13 yr) attending primary schools in the districts of Kinondoni and Temeke completed face to face interviews and a full mouth clinical examination. The survey instrument was designed to measure a Kiswahili translated and culturally adapted Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance (Child-OIDP) frequency score, reported dental problems, dissatisfaction with dental appearance/function and socio-demographic characteristics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of malocclusion varied from 0.9% (deep bite) to 22.5% (midline shift) with a total of 63.8% having at least one type of anomaly. Moderate proportions of children admitted dental problems; ranging from 7% (space position) to 20% (pain). The odds ratio of having problems with teeth position, spaces, pain and swallowing if having any malocclusion were, respectively 6.7, 3.9, 1.4 and 6.8. A total of 23.3% children were dissatisfied with dental appearance/function. Children dissatisfied with their dental appearance were less likely to be Temeke residents (OR = 0.5) and having parents of higher education (OR = 0.6) and more likely to reporting problem with teeth position (OR = 4.3) and having oral impacts (OR = 2.7). The socio-dental treatment need of 12% was five times lower than the normative need assessment of 63.8%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Compared to the high prevalence of malocclusion, psycho social impacts and dissatisfaction with appearance/function was not frequent among Tanzanian schoolchildren. Subjects with malocclusion reported problems most frequently and malocclusion together with other psycho-social impact scores determined children's satisfaction with teeth appearance- and function.</p